Egyptian-Jordanian Military Exercise 'Al Aqaba' kicks off

CAIRO – 31 October 2022: The Egyptian-Jordanian Military Exercise "Al Aqaba 7" kicked off Monday in Egypt, and is scheduled to last until November 9.

The exercises are carried out by Egyptian and Jordanian infantry, special forces, and naval troops, in the Southern Military Zone and the Red Sea.

The first phase consisted of lectures and practical implementation for each side to get acquainted with the military experience of the other, and to unify concepts among participating elements. The arms and equipment used during the exercises have been exhibited either.

The Egyptian Armed Forces' spokesperson pointed out that the goal of the exercises is enhancing the participant's ability to plan, coordinate, and accomplish in the designated times and under any circumstances.

Joint Egyptian-Jordanian Exercises 'Aqaba 6' took place in December 2021. Those were carried out by land forces, special forces, paratroopers, naval special forces, and elements from special branches of both countries.

The press statement of the Egyptian Armed Forces indicated that the exercises consisted of a joint operation to eliminate a terrorist hideout in a border village. The operation began with paratrooping aimed at creating observation points that would enable fact-checking information about the enemy, cutting supply, and encirclement of the village.

That was followed by securing the advancement axes, the detection and the detonation of explosives by military engineers. Then, multi-role aircraft, direct and indirect artillery covered the storming of the hideout by special forces, infantry, and armored vehicles.

The Thunderbolt Forces of Egypt and Jordan also held joint operations pertinent to combating terrorist elements in mountainous areas. Such exercises were composed of breaking into terrorist hideouts, freeing hostages, and discovering an establishment used to preparing explosives.

Military engineers and chemical warfare elements equally carried out exercises of securing and cleansing the building. In the end, Egyptian and Jordanian paratroopers executed the joint friendship jump holding the flags of both countries.

Simultaneously, the naval special forces assumed a number of activities. Some of which included the participation of torpedoes, and Egypt's replenishment oiler dubbed "Segm Halayeb." Operations included intercepting a suspicious merchant ship, implementing the right to visit and inspect with the support of helicopters, and torpedoes. Another exercise was cleansing a building at the port of terrorists, and imposing control on it.